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yodamom's review against another edition
5.0
**You need to read the first book in this series some of this review could have spoilers for you** This is the last book in this short series.
Carrie Fisher is master at twisting a tale and I found myself not able to put the book down,The first book Incarceron was told from Finn's POV mostly inside the prison. This story is mostly from his "slave dog" Attia's POV, she is still in the prison, frightened and filled with dreams of Finn's saving her. She is trapped in Incarcerson with Finn's oath-brother Keiro, who is resentful and angry at being left behind. They are hunting Sapphiques glove, a power source that may grant them freedom. They travel through Incarceron, the prison wants to the glove, it has a dark use for it and has eyes everywhere.
Finn's/Prince Giles finds that life on the outside is not what he thought it would be. he grows frustrated that the portal can not be opened to save his brother Keiro. The court is filled with it's own dangers and they are rising against him. Claudia is struggling with her father's disappearance, her tutor and beloved friends illness and a possible pretender.
I loved this book. I found it dragged a bit with Attia's POV, I just did not really connect with her. the other characters and details made up for the brief slowness of her. I loved how it all tied together and how it all broke down. I also appreciate the authors ability to end the series, it could have been extended as many authors do, she ends it on a high level.
Carrie Fisher is master at twisting a tale and I found myself not able to put the book down,The first book Incarceron was told from Finn's POV mostly inside the prison. This story is mostly from his "slave dog" Attia's POV, she is still in the prison, frightened and filled with dreams of Finn's saving her. She is trapped in Incarcerson with Finn's oath-brother Keiro, who is resentful and angry at being left behind. They are hunting Sapphiques glove, a power source that may grant them freedom. They travel through Incarceron, the prison wants to the glove, it has a dark use for it and has eyes everywhere.
Finn's/Prince Giles finds that life on the outside is not what he thought it would be. he grows frustrated that the portal can not be opened to save his brother Keiro. The court is filled with it's own dangers and they are rising against him. Claudia is struggling with her father's disappearance, her tutor and beloved friends illness and a possible pretender.
I loved this book. I found it dragged a bit with Attia's POV, I just did not really connect with her. the other characters and details made up for the brief slowness of her. I loved how it all tied together and how it all broke down. I also appreciate the authors ability to end the series, it could have been extended as many authors do, she ends it on a high level.
brinreadstowrite's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
abaugher's review against another edition
5.0
The legend of Sapphique, the hero of the prison, the one who escaped, is fleshed out in this sequel to Finn's escape from the prison. The twists, turns, and cliffhangers from one chapter to another have been rendered beautifully, with layer upon layer of intrigue, deceit, personal motives, and the raw need to survive playing out the epic story of a lifetime.
alex_watkins's review against another edition
5.0
As you may be able to tell from the ridiculous number of tags I gave this book, there is a bit of genre melding going on here. In many ways it resembles Japanese manga: a future that looks like the past in the aftermath of some cataclysmic war. But in other respects it is more like American Sci-Fi with a fearsome AI that has broken lose of its programming, a HAL that has quite a bit more than two astronauts in his grasps. This is the sequel to Incarceron, and I have to say it's just as good if not better, a rare thing for sequels these days. And thank god, it ended after two books, Good bless Catherine Fisher for not, like every other YA author, turning her book into a trilogy.
I believe in the last book I felt the scenes inside the prison of Incarceron were stronger than those outside. Now there is parity, with those in the real world just as compelling. However the world inside the prisin are still a favorite because of the great imagination, scene setting, and just general awesomeness. It real is a compelling world that has been created here. Not only that but the development of the Incareron AI is very interesting, a twist I wasn't expecting. Although this book is science fiction, it blends it almost seamlessly with fantasy or at least mythology. Perhaps everything can be explained with science, but at the same time there is some doubt. Is it just myth and legend? I liked that. Though it does leave the reader slightly confused as to what, exactly, is going on.
I believe in the last book I felt the scenes inside the prison of Incarceron were stronger than those outside. Now there is parity, with those in the real world just as compelling. However the world inside the prisin are still a favorite because of the great imagination, scene setting, and just general awesomeness. It real is a compelling world that has been created here. Not only that but the development of the Incareron AI is very interesting, a twist I wasn't expecting. Although this book is science fiction, it blends it almost seamlessly with fantasy or at least mythology. Perhaps everything can be explained with science, but at the same time there is some doubt. Is it just myth and legend? I liked that. Though it does leave the reader slightly confused as to what, exactly, is going on.
hirayaryuu's review against another edition
1.0
Horrible ending. It was drawn out for too long to be enjoyable plus there were a million questions left to the readers and over a dozen plot holes.
yahavula's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
stephxsu's review against another edition
5.0
If Incarceron was a great book that “shakes the foundations of your literary beliefs” (quoting from my review of Incarceron), then SAPPHIQUE is a fantasy achievement of canonical proportions. It takes everything we appreciated and were in awe of in the first book and takes it to the next level, making sure that this is a two-book series we will remember for decades to come.
Whereas Incarceron took me a couple of chapters to get into, SAPPHIQUE captured my attention immediately, opening with one of Attia’s attempts to get the Glove. We are already fairly well aware of how Incarceron as well as the Protocol-mandated “real world” operates, and thus the stakes can be all the higher in this sequel. Catherine Fisher loves to write chapters with nail-biting endings that just force you to keep on reading. It’s fast-paced and utterly brilliant.
Incarceron and SAPPHIQUE are part of that rare type of novel where the fast-paced expansiveness of the story excuses weaknesses in characterization. Some readers will still not like Finn, Claudia, Keiro, or Attia in this second book—but they are not really meant to be liked. They are people stuck in life-or-death situations, and they can’t afford to be nice, for to be nice is to lose.
So SAPPHIQUE’s appeal lies not in its characters, but rather in the way Catherine Fisher can tell a story that keeps you glued to the pages. The ending may frustrate some readers, but personally I thought it was the perfect ending to the story, and something that had been building up for a while. SAPPHIQUE is a must-read if you were a fan of Incarceron, and I can only hope that Catherine Fisher will write more extraordinary books in the very near future!
Whereas Incarceron took me a couple of chapters to get into, SAPPHIQUE captured my attention immediately, opening with one of Attia’s attempts to get the Glove. We are already fairly well aware of how Incarceron as well as the Protocol-mandated “real world” operates, and thus the stakes can be all the higher in this sequel. Catherine Fisher loves to write chapters with nail-biting endings that just force you to keep on reading. It’s fast-paced and utterly brilliant.
Incarceron and SAPPHIQUE are part of that rare type of novel where the fast-paced expansiveness of the story excuses weaknesses in characterization. Some readers will still not like Finn, Claudia, Keiro, or Attia in this second book—but they are not really meant to be liked. They are people stuck in life-or-death situations, and they can’t afford to be nice, for to be nice is to lose.
So SAPPHIQUE’s appeal lies not in its characters, but rather in the way Catherine Fisher can tell a story that keeps you glued to the pages. The ending may frustrate some readers, but personally I thought it was the perfect ending to the story, and something that had been building up for a while. SAPPHIQUE is a must-read if you were a fan of Incarceron, and I can only hope that Catherine Fisher will write more extraordinary books in the very near future!
scarylions's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
jaklettke's review against another edition
3.0
The direct continuation of Incarceron, this book wraps up some of the mysteries presented in the first part. Then it introduces a whole new twist to keep you imagining what the characters do with their lives even after this book finishes.
I'd pick this up again for a light read.
I'd pick this up again for a light read.